Benjamin snydttr



` ried conveniently in thezpocket.

UNr-rnnv STATES PATENT @Erica BENJAMIN sNYDnuL onfranNfroN, NEW Jnnsnr. i

specification forming part of Letter'sratent No; 36,24%.' dated August 19,1862. l

.To all whom, it ma/ z/concerm;

Beit known that 1, BENJAMIN- SNYDER, of

Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful device for assisting persons in reading. inrail-l road-cars, and which' device I term a Bead-l ing- Card; and Ido hereby declare that'the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to. the accom panying'drawings, making a part of this'speci-V -cation, in which- Figure 1 is a face View of my invention applied to a' column of a newspaper or printed matter; Fig. 2, asection ofy the same, taken inthe linea :0,YFig. 1; Fig. 3, a section 'of the device ina folded state.

S'Similar. letters of reference indicate cor-rebe readily manipulated oradjusted over the paper or printed page from line to-line, be

yIirmlyheld in position,'and when not in use capable of being compactly folded and. car- To this end the invention consists in the employment or use of a jointed or`folding card or thin wooden or metal plate provided with a .flap or thumb-piece constructed sub-' stantinll'y as hereinafter fully shown and described.

To enable those skilledgin the art to fully i understand and constructmy invention, I will proceed ,to describe it,

A Vrepresents a piece of card or paste'- hoard, which is foldedI at its center, so yas to form two parts, a b, equal in' length', but of -different widths, the part b be'ingwider than v the part a, so thatv it will project beyond it at each side, as shown in Fig. 1. The fold in the card forms a joint,l c, which may be strengthened by cementing or gluing 'a strip of muslin or other material over "it at one side ofthe card.'r The'part b is made` sufficiently wide to admit-cfa recess being'cut in it's/ top edge equal in width to the column pf printed lmatter to'which it is to be applied, said recess leavinga projecting lip, d, at each side to serve as boundaries to the column to guide or keep the eye atthe proper spot,'as shown in Fig, A1. The part a of fthefcard has a curved cut made in Ait to fo whichmay be pressed outward I a ilap, B,

the part,

-aiagainst the faperorbookto which the card l l is applied. he card is held to the paper o'r book and adj usted thereon from line to line byv 'grasping the part a of the card, ythe fingers bearing against its outer or upper'snrface, as indicated by thered outline in Fig. 1, and the' thumb pressihg ony the .flap B, which prevents l the card fromcasuallyslipping on the paper. The upper' edge of-the'part b O f, the card is kadjusted underneatheach line to be read, and serves as a great relief 5to the eyes, and will enable. persons while traveling inl railroadcars 'to read with "comparative ease without ,injuring the eyes.

AThehap B is an essential feature of the invention, as under the pressure of the thumb it is made to bear 'against the'paper or book to prevent thecasual displacement or slipping of the card-a'- contingen'cy which, otherwise would be liable to occur under the motion of thecar. Y'

When the device is not in use, the two parts a b maybe folded, infcontaet and kept in a `closed state by a .ribbon or smallvelastic band, so as to be convenientlycarried in the pocket.

The outward or upward'surface of the card ma'ygbe ofnagreen tint, as that' color is not trying to the eyes.' -The opposite surface may be of anytint or color and ornamented in any way that will suit the fancy.

Incase wood or metal be used instead of pasteboard, the construction will be precisely the same, the joint c being formed of any suitable exible or pliable material cemented or otherwise secured to a b, the flap B being also secured to a in the sameway.

I would. lremark that the device may also V 'be used by grasping the flap B with the thumb and forefinger and letting the remaining iin# gers press the part a against the paper. This ldifference in the application or use lof. the device, however, does not affect the character of the invention in the le`ast.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent as a new and useful article of manufacture- A readinglcard formed of two parts, a b, connected by a joint, c, and provided with a flap, B, substantially as set forth.

BENJN. 'SNYDER l Witnesses:

SUSAN L. ROGERS, JAMES Roenes. 

